one banner—that of active virtue.’ Prince Sergéy is a fine fellow and clever.”
Natásha would have had no doubt as to the greatness of Pierre’s idea, but one thing disconcerted her. “Can a man so important and necessary to society be also my husband? How did this happen?” She wished to express this doubt to him. “Now who could decide whether he is really cleverer than all the others?” she asked herself, and passed in review all those whom Pierre most respected. Judging by what he had said there was no one he had respected so highly as Platón Karatáev.
“Do you know what I am thinking about?” she asked. “About Platón Karatáev. Would he have approved of you now, do you think?”
Pierre was not at all surprised at this question. He understood his wife’s line of thought.
“Platón Karatáev?” he repeated, and pondered, evidently sincerely trying to imagine Karatáev’s opinion on the subject. “He would not have understood … yet perhaps he would.”